The present invention generally relates to adapters for miniature type tape cassettes, and more particularly to an adapter for use with a miniature type tape cassette which has a size smaller than a standard type tape cassette and is loaded independently into a recording and/or reproducing apparatus of a type different from a standard type recording and/or reproducing apparatus.
Presently, video signal recording and/or reproducing apparatuses using tape cassettes are reduced to practical use on the world-wide basis. As types of these recording and/or reproducing apparatuses using tape cassettes, two or three standardized types of apparatuses presently exist world-widely. There is no interchangeability between apparatuses of different standards, however, the interchangeability exists between apparatuses adopting the same standard Accordingly, a tape cassette recorded by one recording and/or reproducing apparatus can be reproduced by another recording and/or reproducing apparatus of the same standard. Hence, in order to ensure the interchangeability between different recording and/or reproducing apparatuses manufactured by different manufacturers so as to perform recording and/or reproduction, a standardization is established with respect to formats of the tape cassette and the recording and/or reproducing apparatus. That is, the above formats are standardized for each standard, and a standard type tape cassette and a standard type recording and/or reproducing apparatus are respectively manufactured and marketed under each standard.
Recently, a problem of much importance involves the realization in downsizing the recording and/or reproducing apparatus main body. This is to develop a more compact portable type recording and/or reproducing apparatus, and, for example, to realize such an equipment that a recording apparatus is unitarily built into a television camera.
Accordingly, in order to downsize the recording and/or reproducing apparatus without changing the formats of the tape cassette and the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, a miniature type tape cassette was proposed in a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 322,174 entitled "MINIATURE TYPE TAPE CASSETTE" filed Nov. 17, 1981 in which the assignee is the same as that of the present application. This proposed miniature tape cassette has a size smaller than the standard type tape cassette, and is loaded independently into a recording and/or reproducing apparatus of a type different from the standard type recording and/or reproducing apparatus which carried out recording and reproduction when loaded with the standard type tape cassette. Further, an adapter for a miniature type tape cassette was proposed in a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 322,767 entitled "ADAPTER FOR A MINIATURE TYPE TAPE CASSETTE" filed Nov. 19, 1981 in which the assignee is the same as that of the present application. The proposed adapter has an external form and size identical to the standard type tape cassette. This proposed adapter is designed so as to accommodate the miniature type tape cassette therein, and is located into the standard type recording and/or reproducing apparatus in a state where a tape is drawn out of a cassette case of the miniature type tape cassette to form a predetermined tape path within the adapter.
As will be described in detail hereinafter, a lid which is free to open and close is provided at the front of the above described miniature type tape cassette. This lid is maintained in the open or closed position by a force exerted by a spring. The miniature type tape cassette is accommodated within the adapter in a state where the lid is open in a horizontal state.
In the conventional adapter for a miniature type tape cassette, no means are provided for stopping the lid of the miniature type tape cassette which is accommodated within the adapter. Hence, if an external force acts on the lid of the miniature type tape cassette in the closing direction of the lid, the lid will easily rotate towards its closing direction. Thus, there were disadvantages in that the lid might close due to such an external force to pinch and damage the tape which is drawn out of the miniature type tape cassette, and make it impossible to carry out the tape loading and tape unloading operations within the adapter.